Mitt Romney
Mit Romney, born Willard Mitt Romney, was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts and is currently seeking 2012 GOP Nomination for President of the United States. Personality Mitt has always been calm, patient, and never easy to rattle. It is difficult to get under his skin or or fluster him, as he is good at listening to the opposition before retorting with a smart and accurate response. History Willard Mitt Romney was born to Michigan Governor George W. Romney and Lonore on March 12, 1947 in Detroit Michigan. We was raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan in the Mormon faith, a religion he would later become a missionary for in France. He began his education in public elementary schools but later enrolled in a Cranbrook Private Boys School. Romney earned an undergraduate degree from Brigham Youn University and joint degrees in Juris Doctor and Master of Business from Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. Having this tremendous education, Romney had no trouble finding work and began his business career with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Later, in 1977, he was employed by Bill Bain and a few former BCG employees in Bain & Company, a management consulting firm. Eager to run his own company, Romney eventually accepted an offer from Bill Bain to make a business journey of his own using Bain techniques in 1984. Thus, Bain Capital was formed. At first, this organization started with no more than ten employes, including Bain and Romney, but it grew overtime especially after investing in companies like Staples. Romney's political side was first shown in 1994 when he took advantage of the unpopular Democratic Congress to challenge longtime Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney ran on the fact that Kennedy had been soft on crime, and for a while, the race was even; however, Kennedy won reelection with 58% of the vote, Romney receiving 41%. This was the smallest margin Kennedy had ever won a Senatorial race by. Romney took a break form politics and in 2002, he was appointed to run the Salt Lake City Olympic games, an event that was facing the possibility of $379 Million in cuts due to the financial crisis of the time. Romney was able to solve the problem by boosting fundraising and replacing Olympic officials who had been accused of accepting bribes. He also faced concerns of security, considering the games were held not too long after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Many were advocating that the event be cancelled, but Romney persisted and increased the security budget by $300 Million. Romney's 2002 campaign was one that tackled corruption on two fronts. Firstly, he ran after the current Democratic Governor, Jane Swift, was plagued by personal scandals including using state employees as babysitters, using a government helicopter as personal transportation, and refusing to commute the sentence of a convicted sex offender. Secondly, Mitt had to battle against claims that he was ineligible to run for governor given the time he spent in Utah for the Salt Lake City Olympics. These claims were silences by the Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission, who unanimously ruled that Romney was eligible. He went on to defeat Shannon O'Brien 50% to 45%. The Governor opted out of running for reelection in 2006, and after leaving office in 2007, he focuses on seeking the Presidency in 2008. After failing to secure the GOP nomination, Romney endorsed Senator John McCain, who later was victorious. McCain, who was often speculated to pick Romney as the Vice Presidential nomination, instead chose the "game-changer" Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Political Positions and Stances Abortion Mitt Romney's views on abortion are the following: *Life begins at conception. *Roe v Wade should be immediately overturned so that states can decide abortion laws. *Partial birth abortions should be banned *Should eventually have a constitutional amendment protecting lives of the unborn. *Federal money should not be used to support abortions. *Embryo-destructive research should not be supported by taxpayer money. *Cloning of human embryos is morally wrong. *Supports using scientific techniques that can produce equivalent research without destroying or cloning embryos. American Culture and Values Romney's views on American Culture and Values are the following: *The strong family has been, and should continue to be, a source and foundation of American culture. *Couples should get married before they have children. Children benefit greatly from having both a mother and father at home. *Abstinence education should be given to students. *Pornography and sexual promiscuity are great threats to families and our culture. *The United States has always valued hard work, education, and belief in God. *Initiative, risk taking, and opportunity need to continue to be key values of American culture. Dependency is culture killing. Romney on American Culture and Values: “People, not government, are the source of America’s strength. There is no place that is more important to the future strength of America than the American home. The work that goes on within the walls of a home is the most important work that is ever done in America. And if we want to strengthen America, we need to strengthen the American family.” 2/22/2007 Spartanburg, SC [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/american-culture-and-values/'Romney on American Values'] Economics Mitt Romney's views on Economics are the following: *The private sector is where real job growth takes place, not government bureaucracies. *Unleashing the power of free markets is key to our economic prosperity. *Taxes should be lower for ALL Americans. *The death tax should be eliminated and Bush tax cuts made permanent. *Our corporate tax rate needs to be more competitive and business friendly. *The capital gains tax rate should be reduced to encourage investment. *A level-playing field for American products in foreign markets is necessary. [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/economy/'Romney's Economics] Romney on the economy: “Job and income growth can only come from a growing, successful private sector. Of course, government can create innumerable public sector jobs, but in doing so, it supplants the private sector and ultimately depresses the prosperity of its citizens. A pro-job, pro-prosperity government works to create the conditions that enable businesses of all sizes to grow and thrive. These should include aligning corporate taxes with those of other developed economies, eliminating special corporate tax breaks that lobbyists have inserted over the years, and preserving the Bush tax cuts — especially for small business.” -- Mitt Romney 8/18/2010 USA Today [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/economy/'Romney Economy Qupte] Education Romney's views on Education are the following: *Education is a civil right. *Teachers unions have far too much power and influence. *Parents and communities should have greater ability to influence change in local schools. *Good teachers should be rewarded with a higher salary. *School choice and the number of charter schools should be expanded. *The Department of Education can help take the focus off of teacher’s unions. *Instituted the John & Abigail Adams award in Massachusetts, which gives top 25% of high school students free tuition to any public in-state college.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/education/'Romney on Education'] Energy and Oil Romney's views on Energy Independence are the following: *Build more nuclear power plants and reform regulations on existing plants. *Expand oil exploration and drilling here in the U.S. *Invest in renewable energy, such as clean burning coal. *Utilize natural gas more effectively. *Encourage private investment in energy technology. *Don’t agree to policies that reduce only our greenhouse gas emissions, while allowing China and India to continue their current output.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/energy-independance/'Romney on Energy Independence'] Foreign Policy Romney's views on Foreign Policy are the following: *Strongly stand by our allies such as Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Columbia, etc. *Promote and defend democracy throughout the world. *Stop Iran from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons. *Work with moderate Muslims to defeat Jihadism. *Don’t enter into treaties or agreements that will not be honored or put the U.S. at a disadvantage. *Never publicly announce military withdrawal dates from a theater of action. *Allow our allies a faster path to becoming NATO members. Romney on Foreign Policy: “Democracy is not defined by a vote. There have to be the underpinnings of democracy: education, health care, people recognizing they live in a place that has the rule of law. And that’s why our effort to spread democracy should continue, not to just spread votes, but instead to encourage other people in the world to have the benefits that we enjoy and to welcome democracy. There’s no question in this country, we need to reach out, not just with our military might--although that we have, and should keep it strong--but also reach out with our other great capabilities.” 8/5/2007 Des Moines, IA debate.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/foreign-policy/'Romney on Foreign Policy'] Global Warming Romney's views on Global Warming are the following: *Cap and Trade legislation would be disastrous for our economy. *The earth’s climate has been constantly changing throughout its history. *We should not take extreme measures when we are unsure of human role in global warming. *Treaties, like Kyoto, would affect the U.S., but not major greenhouse gas emitters like China and India. [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/cap-and-trade-global-warming/'Romney on Global Warming'] Government Roles Romney's views on the role of Government are the following: *Less government is better government. *Dependency is death to initiative. *The Federal government needs to rein in excessive spending. *McCain-Feingold hurts the First Amendment. *The president should have line-item veto powers. *A balanced budget amendment should be passed. [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/limited-government/'Romney on Government Roles'] Health Care Romney's views on Health Care are the following: *Health insurance needs to apply market-based dynamics to decrease costs. *States should be able to construct a plan that fits their specific situation. *Allow insurance plans to be purchased across state lines to increase competition. *Health insurance should be portable so that someone does not lose their insurance if they change jobs. *Tort reform is a vital part of health care reform. *Enhance health savings accounts, not eliminate them like ObamaCare will do. *Utilize innovations, such as electronic medical records, to increase efficiency and reduce costs. [http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/healthcare-reform/'Romney on Health Care'] Immigration Romney's views on Immigration are the following: *Securing the Mexican border is priority number one. *Those who have come to the United States illegally should not be given amnesty or an easier path to citizenship over those already in line. *An employer verification system must be implemented to ensure jobs are not given to illegal immigrants. *Illegal immigrants should be required to return to their home country. *Giving tuition breaks to the children of illegal immigrants needs to stop. *Federal funding for cities who consider themselves sanctuary cities should be reduced. *The United States needs to be made more appealing to legal immigrants. *Ending illegal immigration only strengthens legal immigration.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/immigration/'Romney on Immigration'] National Security Romney's views on National Security are the following: *Complete the non-nuclear ballistic missile defense system. *Increase defense budget to 4% of GDP (gross domestic product). *Add 100,000 more troops to our armed forces. *Repair or replace military equipment lost in Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. *Work to better protect ourselves from cyber-attack. *Increase number of naval vessels and aircraft to levels needed to do their missions. *Terrorists should not have access to our civil courts or be imprisoned on U.S. soil.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/national-defense/'Romney on National Security'] Same-Sex Marriage Romney's views on Same-Sex Marriage are the following: *Marriage should only be between a man and a woman. *Supports a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman. *In favor of recognizing domestic partnerships that include the opportunity for shared health benefits and rights of survivorship. *Every child deserves a father and a mother.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/same-sex-marriage/'Romney on Same-Sex Marriage'] Second Amendment Rights Romney's views on the Second Amendment are the following: *Strong supporter of gun-owner’s rights. *There is no need for more gun restrictions. *Provided relaxed licensing requirements in Massachusetts. *Require all new hunters to take a hunter’s safety course.[http://mittromneycentral.com/on-the-issues/second-amendment/'Romney on Second Amendment Rights'] Accomplishments *Received joint degrees in Law and Business Master from Harvard *Co-Founded Bain Capital *Gave Ted Kennedy his hardest reelection campaign in his history in 1994 *Appointed CEO of 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and saved the Games from shutdown *Assumed Office of Governor of Massachusetts in 2003 *Father of 5 children Quotes "America cannot continue to lead the family of nations around the world if we suffer the collapse of the family here at home." "Conservatives believe in providing Constitutional rights to our citizens, not to enemy combatants like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed." "Instead of leading the world by how much we borrow, it's time that we make sure we lead the world in how much we build and create and invest." Do you Stand With Mitt? If you support Romney's 2012 campaign, copy onto your profile! It will add a box like this: See Also *Republican Party *2012 Republican Primary References Category:Republicans Category:Politicians Category:Former Governors Category:Presidential Candidates Category:A to Z Category:2012 Presidential Runners